I have an Adidas tracksuit from the 2010s that I love, but the waistband elastic is starting to give out. Is there a technique to replace it without completely tearing up the seams? I'd like to avoid unpicking the whole thing if possible.
The smart trick is to make a little side opening but make sure the old elastic isn't glued or heat-sealed before you pull it out - if it is, you gotta scrape a bit to loosen it without forcing it like an idiot. Otherwise you're good to thread the new elastic through with a pen or safety pin like the others said.
The best technique is to make a small opening in the side seam (like 10-15 cm) rather than unpicking the whole thing - it only takes 5 minutes with a seam ripper! Then you thread the new elastic through using a safety pin attached to the old elastic to pull the new one in, and then you just sew your opening back up by hand or on the machine. It's honestly way less of a hassle than it sounds and your joggers will be like new!
I tested the little side opening on an old pair of sweatpants and it's really the simplest move - you just make a 10-15 cm slit on the side, thread your new elastic through with a pen or safety pin as a guide, and then you hand-stitch the opening back up. You just gotta make sure you're not cutting through multiple layers of fabric, or it becomes a pain to sew it back up neatly.
Small correction: you don't actually have to make an opening at all if you really want to avoid it! You can try threading your new elastic directly through the casing by attaching it to a thin string that you feed through, like something simple as fishing line or even a shoelace. It takes longer than unpicking seams, but if your sweatpants have real sentimental value, it's worth taking your time rather than risking messing up the stitching. Otherwise yeah, a small side opening is still the quickest solution 😊
The thing with the little side opening, it works, but you really gotta be careful not to damage the fabric around it - use a good seam ripper and take your time, otherwise you end up with tears. Once you've got the elastic out, before putting a new one in, measure the old one carefully (or test the tension on the pants) because if you make it too tight or too loose it's gonna be a pain to wear. Oh and after you've threaded the new elastic through, close up the opening with a hand stitch, a chain stitch is totally enough and it's way faster than doing a proper regular seam.
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